I Am Rinoa Heartily
by Heian Edenwood
Summary: Saving someone does not always necessitate a typical happy ending. Squinoa. Warning: Character deaths. I'd suggest you try to look at the hidden meaning behind the story though. Free cookie for anyone who can guess.


**Well... I decided to do this during 12am in the morning... for some strange reason. I hope you guys won't kill me for this... hehe... I also got someone to Beta read it. Just in case the characters were OOC. ) And no. I do not hate RinoaxSquall (love em in fact. ;D)**

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_I am Rinoa Heartily _

_I am a Sorceress _

_I have no heart _

_The Darkness of Hatred feeds my soul _

_It is the poison that torments me _

_I wish I had never been born _

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_Who is this insolent being? Who is this insolent being that dares to challenge my might? How does he dare to face one... one who has brought one great nation too many to ruin? It matters not. I am absolute. I shall toy with him. His screams of pain and agony shall prove amusing. _

A raven-haired beauty sat upon her throne of obsidian stone. Midnight blue was splashed upon the pitch black through the display of draped silk. Running a delicate hand through her raven tresses, she glanced lazily at the warrior before her. Long lashes fluttered as she rested her head upon a fair hand, displaying nonchalance. Pristine white wings spread out from her back, each emitting a faint glow, giving her an ethereal appearance of an angel. It was deceptively so and one would have perceived so... had it not been for the fire that burned within her eyes. Each glowed with the fiery red of demonic fire and of power-lust.

Yawning slightly and stretching about languidly upon her throne for a moment, she placed delicate hands upon her throne and stood up slowly with feline grace. Her hair fell upon her shoulders and back. Turning her head slightly, to remove the cricks in her neck, she dusted off the cape that flowed from her waist. Chuckling darkly, she glanced at the warrior before her.

The air was tense. He was ready for battle... but somehow, his heart did not seem to be in it. It didn't matter. Lips curling into a malicious sneer, she pointed a regal hand towards the warrior that stood before her, his gun blade drawn, and whispered in a voice that dripped with venom, "Shall we begin?"

And it began. The air crackled with energy and deafening howls were heard as a flurry of spells flew towards the warrior, each missing him as he was a blur of black and white. Raising an eyebrow, she directed her hand towards the warrior once more and chanted the incantation. A tiny orange spark was the only indication of the spell before it struck. An incandescent flare burst from her hands and built into an infernal vortex. With the fury representative of fire, it rushed towards the warrior and he barely avoided it, feeling the immense heat as the fire brushed against his blade. Smiling in mock amusement, she prepared for another spell, only to look into his eyes.

_Who is he? What is it that I see within his eyes? Where is the hatred that resides within so many who have fallen before me? I see pain, I see sorrow... and I see... love. Who is he? Those ice blue eyes seem so familiar... yet, I cannot remember. _

The raven-haired sorceress blinked and faltered for a moment, unsure of what to do. Her concentration had been broken and at that moment, a blur of black and white struck her with the blunt handle of his blade, knocking her down onto the ground. Upon doing so, he moved back to another end of the hall, shifting in a defensive stance. The Sorceress raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

_What is he doing? Why is he avoiding me? His prowess is great... and he could have easily defeated me at that moment. So why is he holding back? Who am I? _

The Sorceress looked into those ice blue eyes once more, her fiery gaze softening slightly, almost unnoticeably, for a moment. Somewhere deep within, where her heart had long run cold, warmth seemed to be made known. An odd sense of familiarity was returning.

_I question myself once more, "Who am I?" and a voice from within my mind whispers with great vengeance, "You are the Sorceress..." _

_But what does my heart say? Or perhaps I do not have one anymore... strangled by the Darkness. Then, a gentle voice, so vaguely familiar, calls out distantly from the depths of my soul, "You are..." _

The words to be were not revealed as the Sorceress felt her gaze hardening once more, twisting her face as if it was carved in cold marble. The madness within her channeled itself within her palms. Eyes narrowing in sadistic delight, she directed a finger at the warrior once more, knowing that this would not miss, "Holy."

A white glow encased the Sorceress as it spread from her wings. Time seemed to pause for a moment right there and then. All that was heard was the powerful humming of magic being drawn to one figure in the room. Then, all silence was shattered by a vicious howl of wind. The light left her body and rolled towards the warrior with immense speed, crumbling the floor upon which it flew upon.

A moment too soon, the spell hit him in the chest with a sickening crunch. The warrior was flung backwards, skidding across the obsidian floor and crashing into a crumbling pillar. His gun blade followed soon after, clattering onto the ground beside him. A cruel smirk was upon the lips of the Sorceress as she levitated towards the fallen warrior.

_How ironic... I bear the wings of that of an angel. Yet, I shall be performing a heinous crime soon enough... _

She tilted her head on it side mockingly, staring at him in contemplative silence for a moment, toying with the idea of finishing it all immediately... or torturing him just a bit more... for her own perverse pleasure. She settled upon the latter.

Placing hands upon her hips, she whispered in silken tones, "You are strong young warrior... why do you seek to throw your life away from such a meaningless pursuit? For the sense of satisfaction? To be applauded a hero?"

Her eyes hardened the moment the words were uttered. Bending down swiftly and grabbing his chin none too gently, the Sorceress snarled, "So many have tried... all have fallen. What makes you think you're different? This en-"

The words were caught in her throat as he gazed upon her with his ice blue eyes.

_I see his eyes... why are they not veiled like the rest? I see not of hatred... I see not of anger... I see not of despair... I merely see resignation... and... love. _

Staring at her straight in the eyes, the warrior whispered weakly, "Rinoa."

And she remembered.

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_I see you standing alone, ever so distant. This air of mystery you... it intrigues me. I look around the dance floor, but there's no one in sight. Blushing slightly, I run over to you... but you're still oblivious to my advances. Giggling, an idea formulates within my mind as I direct an evil grin at you, which again, goes unnoticed. _

_One poke. No reaction. Another poke. Still no reaction. Shifting the offending finger lower, I poke once more. Hard. This time, it illicit a response - your trademark death glare. Grinning shamelessly, I chirp out cheerily to you, "You're the best looking guy here. Dance with me." _

_It's back to Mr. Mute. Well, at least I have your attention now... I think. Another idea formulates within my mind and I give an impish grin and ask, "You'll only dance with someone you like?" _

_I place a finger in front of your eyes and wag it back and forth, as if to hypnotize you. "Look into my eyes. You-will-like-me. You-will-like-me." _

_Now YOU are blushing madly. Did I mention how cute you are when you blush? You stutter, fumbling around for an excuse, "I can't dance." _

_You're a horrible liar... did you know that? _

_Grabbing your hand, I drag you out to the dance floor, and manage to speak in the midst of my giggling, "Come on, you'll be fine. I've been looking for someone. I can't be out there alone!" _

_You attempt to pull away... but I merely grab one of your hands to place in on my waist and the other, it intertwines with my free hand. Satisfied with our position, I calmly place a hand on your shoulder and lead our dance. I smile at your bewildered expression, both endearing and priceless. You stumble around for a bit, and for one moment, you nearly crash into me. _

_That blush and flustered look on your face only becomes more prominent, earning a giggle from me. Nothing deters me as I get both of us to resume position and continue. Soon enough, you get into it and we're having the chemistry only dancers can have. We move along to the rhythm of the song and dance. Slowly, we dance, spinning and waltzing, and you unconsciously draw me closer to you... almost enough for our lips to brush against each other... feeling your breath upon mine. _

_I feel a tremble run down my spine as our hands clasp in the song's climax. Just then, the fireworks display come up and we both halt, looking up at it in awe. For a moment, I see a fleeting smile grace your lips. It's nothing much, merely a small incline of the lips. But it is enough. Placing my hands upon your chest as you deepen your embrace, I laugh lightly, "So you CAN dance after all..." _

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_Breaking out of my reverie, I realize something growing within me. A part of me has awoken out of that memory... something that had been buried a long time ago has returned once more. _

Rinoa shook her head slightly, as if to remove that memory and raised her hand and prepared herself to cast an Ultima. Her body brimmed with power as she invoked the magic residing within her. She wouldn't risk letting this fool get the better of her. Yet, as she looked into the eyes of the warrior beneath her, she found that all the malice and ill-intent that she had felt towards him before had vanished. Slowly, the fiery red within her eyes dimmed, and a warm chocolate brown replaced it.

Wings fading, Rinoa felt her strength leave her and she crumpled to the ground, right next to the wounded warrior. Long-forgotten emotions and memories swirled within the recesses of her mind and heart, causing her to shiver uncontrollably at the foreign feeling. The wounded warrior sat up slowly, and painfully. Gently placing a finger beneath her head, he lifted the Sorceress's gaze to meet his.

Silence reigned for a moment. Rinoa could feel herself being drawn into the hypnotic blue of his eyes. Just then, wings burst forth from her back and Rinoa felt her power flare once more, along with it, the insane urge to kill. Yet, the warrior showed no signs of fear as her eyes glowed fiery red once more. In his eyes, they only depicted trust and understanding.

His piercing blue gaze continued to hold her, never judgmental. Rinoa felt her power ebb away into the distance and all her emotional barriers broke. The memories rushed through her in great tides as she fell into his arms, sobbing, trembling. With surprising gentleness, the warrior encircled his arms around her, wrapping her into an embrace and drawing her closer to him, giving a sigh of relief. He ran his hand through her hair, burying his face into it, that distinct and gentle scent of their field of flowers upon her. His Rinoa was back.

Rinoa clutched the hem of his white t-shirt, now slightly blood-stained, and buried her face into his chest. She reveled in everything he had to offer. The warmth of his gentle caress, the familiarity of his heady scent, though tainted with the scent of battle, the comfort he provided and the vulnerability he offered. Everything was returning to her... and she could remember. For once, in a long while, everything felt it would be alright after all.

However, as time passed, both knew that this moment of peace would not last. Both could feel the steady beat of the Sorceress thrumming through the blood within her body... was threatening to burst through, and that Rinoa could not suppress it for long.

Placing a tentative hand through his hair, Rinoa slowly drew her hand down, past his eyes, past the scar upon the bridge of his nose, and allowed her fingers to linger upon his lips. Her other hand lifted to touch the sides of his face, slowly running it over the defined angles of his head. It was almost as if she was memorizing every detail of his face with her touch, afraid of forgetting once more.

Eyes tearing up once more, Rinoa met the eyes that she had so often lost herself in and drew a shaky breath. Never had words been so difficult and painful to speak. Drawing all her strength, she whispered weakly, "Please, Squall..." She hated how meek her voice sounded... how weak it sounded. But what could she do? She was afraid of the inevitable.

A silent understanding passed through both of them. Both knew the promise they had made... and its implications. Standing up slowly and stumbling slightly, though his body protested vehemently against it, Squall offered his hand. Hands shaking, she took his and she was brought up swiftly. Rinoa felt tears brim her eyes as she drew away silently from Squall, shutting her eyes tight and bracing herself for what was to come. Everything screamed for her to run... to escape. This was just a nightmare that would end the moment she woke up. There was only one problem: It wasn't.

Her eyes snapped open as Squall grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, just the way he had during their first dance. Rinoa looked up in his eyes in confusion and saw his grim expression. Beneath his expression lay deep fear and along with it, a greater resolution. Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Squall spoke in hushed tones, "I remember promising that even if you became the whole world's enemy, I'd be your knight. I'll always stand by your side."

_For what? _

Realization of his intent dawned upon Rinoa as her eyes widened in shock.

Squall's eyes were that of sorrow as he captured Rinoa's lips with his own. Rinoa trembled at his touch, his fingers upon the flat of her back, tracing imaginary circles upon it. This kiss was unlike all that they had ever had before. All their passion, all their love, all their hopes... all their pain... was captured within it. Tears streamed down freely from Rinoa's eyes as she leaned in, allowing Squall to do whatever he wanted with her for the final time.

It mattered not that it would be their final moment together. It would only serve to be the moment that they would both treasure the most.

_I'll be waiting... for you... so... _

It mattered not that Death was a frightening mystery. It was but part and parcel of life...

_If you come here... _

It mattered not the cold prick of the blade upon her back. It was the final gift that he could offer her... the gift of freedom... freedom from the torment of the Sorceress's might.

_You'll find me. _

All that mattered was... that in their final moments... they were together, their hearts beating as one.

_I promise. _

She felt his body shaking and his arms shivering, his body wracked in silent sobs. Fingers wrapped tighter around the gun blade as both bodies tensed. A simple thrust was all it took as the blade went clean through both their hearts. Both let out a gasp as pain flooded through their senses. A single tear, pristine in its very essence, flowed agonizingly slowly from Squall's eye, falling to the ground, shattering into a myriad of tinier drops. With the last of his strength, Squall drew Rinoa closer to himself, not caring of the pain of the blade that slid through him and with a final smile as he gazed lovingly at his angel, the light left his eyes. His words were pained as he whispered weakly, "I... love... you..."

Both collapsed to the ground in the arms of each other. A scene of peace within the ruins of the hall. The hall was silent. A sepulcher for the lovers who were wrenched apart and brought back together by the hands of destiny. A requiem of a dream.

_I know my time quickly approaches... Blood gushes out the wounds we have sustained and I taste that metallic tang of iron as blood trickles out of my mouth. This life approaches an end... I know... and Death is another mystery to conquer. But I will not be alone, for my knight will protect me. _

_With that, I close my eyes as the pain ebbs away and the cool embrace of death encloses me... _

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_I am Rinoa Heartily _

_I am a sorceress _

_I have a heart _

_The Light of Love feeds my soul _

_In his arms I am at peace _

_I am glad I entered this world to meet him _

_My knight and I shall walk together... in life and in death... _

Fin.

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**Well, I'm done with this. I'd like to give special thanks Leontillybalambgirl for having patiently answering all my nooby questions about FFVIII... Hehe... This is dedicated specially to her as well. Please review! Thanks.**

**God bless you all, Azarethian Titan**


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